


At First Light

by TwilaFrost



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blood and Injury, Horror, Inspired By Until Dawn (Video Game), Language, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, POV Alternating, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:28:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27115414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilaFrost/pseuds/TwilaFrost
Summary: When eight friends go to stay together for a weekend get away, it sounds like a great time. However, as they are drawn apart by mysterious circumstances, the friends become weary that someone or something else lurks in the night on the snowy mountain.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou
Comments: 30
Kudos: 153





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> It's Spooktober! So here's a short fic to contribute to the month. This narrative is loosely based on the video game Until Dawn. So there will be spoilers for the game.

**22:02**

When Kiyoomi accepted the Miya twins’ invitation to spend the weekend out in their ski lodge in Hokkaido, this wasn’t what he was expecting. Looking at the locked gate in front of him with a note that reads _Lock Frozen, Climb Over_ he curses Atsumu internally. He knows that shit is the one who put the sign there. He probably didn’t even try to defrost it. With a sigh, he turns to the stone wall and finds a few divots he can use to haul himself over. 

The stone is freezing even through Kiyoomi’s gloves. Why is their meetup time so late? It’s already dark. Fucking Miyas, never thinking anything through. Though he supposes he’s known them far too long to expect anything else. Following the snowy path up, he reaches the cable car station. On the bench, Kageyama sits idly scrolling through his phone. His blue eyes glance up, hearing Kiyoomi’s feet crunching the snow. They both nod in greeting. 

“Kageyama the car is coming!” A bright flash of orange dashes out of the station entrance. “Oh, hey Omi-san!”

Hinata Shouyou, resident sunshine, Kageyama’s best friend and crush. Maybe this weekend can finally give them that final shove to get together. Knowing a certain twin, he probably has some stupid plan.

Greeting the ginger, the three men enter the station to board the cable car. To be completely honest, Kiyoomi isn’t that big of a fan of heights. So why he said yes to staying on a tall ass mountain is still pending. And he’s the tiniest bit claustrophobic. The feeling of the car lurching and swinging does nothing for his anxiety. How often are these cables maintained? When was the last time it was maintenanced? He tries to focus on what Hinata is saying to silence his thoughts.

“I’m so excited! Atsumu-san said they have a hot tub!”

“We’re here to ski, Dumbass.”

“But hot tub!”

Of course the Miyas have a hot tub at their fancy mountain lodge. Rich bastards. Kiyoomi isn’t going to be soaking in everyone’s filth, though. No, he’s going to take a nice hot bath in what is probably a stupidly large bathtub once they get to the lodge. 

With Hinata and Kageyama bantering, the ride goes by fairly quickly. Now it’s only a short walk to the lodge. It’s still way too dark for comfort. The stillness in the surrounding woods lingers like an unwanted presence. 

The lodge itself sets an imposing figure in the snowy wooded area. A faint flickering glow casts out from the front window. At least the twins seem to have the fireplace going. 

Hinata runs up the steps and doesn’t bother to knock as he barges through the front door. 

“HEY, HEY, HEY! The gang’s all here now!” He hears Bokuto’s voice ring through the opening. 

Kiyoomi stomps the snow off his boots before following the other two inside and closing the door behind him. 

“Omi-Omi!” Ah, there he is. Atsumu beams and holds his arms wide like he actually expects Kiyoomi to hug him. 

Osamu casts his brother an unimpressed look and hits the back of his head. “He’s here now, so stop delayin’ and go turn on the power.”

“Why couldn’t ya have just done it yerself? And taken Sunarin with ya!”

Suna drapes himself lazily over Osamu. “He likes me better. Now chop chop, power won’t restore itself.” 

Atsumu pouts glumly, “Won’t someone come with me?”

“Sure!” Hinata bounds over to his side, ever the reliable friend. 

“See? Someone likes me,” the blonde sticks his tongue out at the couple still looking wholly unimpressed. 

The two make their way to the basement as everyone else settles in. It’s still cold in here. Why didn’t they come up earlier in the day to get everything ready? Here he thought at least Osamu was reasonable. 

“Bokuto-san, where are you going?” Akaashi asks as the man tries to sneak away.

Freezing in his tracks, Bokuto turns with an innocent smile on his face. “I just want to play a little prank on them. Harmless, really!”

Akaashi raises an eyebrow but sighs, relenting. Bokuto scampers away to do god knows what. 

Osamu and Suna sit down on the couch next to Akaashi. “Well, this oughtta be interestin’.”

-💀-💀-💀-

**23:16**

“Hm, we should probably turn on the hot water while we’re down here, too. Omi-kun will want a bath,” Atsumu says leading Hinata down the dark staircase into the basement.

“How do we do that?”

“Don’t worry, it’s real easy. I’ll show ya.” 

Atsumu has never liked basements. There’s just something unnatural about them. People aren’t meant to be underground. What’s worse is that the one in the lodge is all cold concrete. Their footfalls are the only sound that permeates the air. Atsumu uses his phone’s flashlight to see in the darkness. 

He remembers when he was a kid his grandmother would tell Osamu and him stories about the yokai that hunt in the shadows. Why the crazy bat thought those were good bedtime stories, he’ll never know. It’s at times like these that he curses her while she cackles from beyond the grave. 

“Hold this for me wouldja Shouyou-kun?” He hands over his phone when they reach the breaker box. He switches everything on and moves over to get the boiler going as well. “Alright, that should do it!” 

Hinata opens his mouth to say something but stops short when they hear something scraping across the hard ground. They look at each other with wide eyes. Atsumu brings a finger up to his mouth to stay quiet. The shorter man nods quickly. 

It’s an awful sound. One that sends shivers down your spine like nails against a chalkboard. The light from Atsumu’s phone captures only the floating specs of dust in the air. The sudden silence settles in a way that a single movement might break the spell. 

Daring to risk it, Atsumu creeps forward to investigate with his heart racing. Hinata wearily steps by his side. Their eyes dart around every object, searching for something in the darkness. The terrible scraping sound pierces through the basement again, halting the men in their tracks. It’s close. Too close. 

Then from behind a shelving unit, emerges a figure draped in dark robes. It’s face obscured by a hood shrouded in shadows. 

Hinata lets out a panicked scream and dashes back towards the stairs. Atsumu shrieks and is right on his tail. The figure chases them, quickly gaining ground. Pushing his legs fast, the stairs are just another step away. On the way up the staircase, Hinata’s shoe catches on a step, and he falls. Atsumu struggles to help him up in his panicked state, but it’s too late. The figure is on them now. A pale hand reaches out and grasps Atsumu’s forearm. Eyes wide in fear, he can’t even scream. 

Then the figure is laughing, throwing off the hood to reveal Bokuto.

“Oh my God! Your faces!” He cackles in delight.

Hinata gets back up to his feet. “Whoa! You really got us Bokuto-san!”

“Not cool, Bokkun,” Atsumu frowns at his stupid owl friend. 

When they come back up, Bokuto is still laughing and the rest of the group joins in at their misfortune. Osamu and Suna are practically wheezing. “We could hear ya screeching all the way up here!” 

His brother is the worst. What if it had actually been an ax murderer? Even Sakusa is laughing! 

“Yeah. Whatever. Ya could at least thank us for turnin’ everythin’ on,” he grumbles moodily and plants himself in front of the fireplace. 

“Oh! Look what I found while I was down there!” Bokuto says whipping out a box from inside the robes he’s wearing.

Atsumu takes one look at it and goes pale. “Oh hell no! I don’t know what the fuck that’s doin’ here, but don’t even think ‘bout touchin’ that! Give it to me, and I’ll chuck it into the fire!”

Sakusa - the bastard - takes the box from Bokuto and shakes it at him. “Don’t tell me you actually believe in this stuff.” 

“Don’t fuckin’ shake it! And it’s not about believin’, it’s about me not wantin’ to find out if it’s real.”

“Sounds like a believer to me.”

Of course a skeptic like Sakusa wouldn’t bat an eye at a fucking ouija board. No thanks, man. He’s not about to accidentally invite in a demon just to sate some passing curiosity. Because there’s always that “what if?” 

He doesn’t think Bokuto is a skeptic, just exceptionally stupid. “Come on guys! Let’s try it out!” 

“If it freaks ‘Tsumu out, I’m game,” Osamu says. Suna nods his head in agreement.

Bokuto whoops and starts setting up a table to do a séance or whatever. Ugh. 

Atsumu throws up his hands, “I ain’t participation’!”

Sakusa passes the box off to Suna, “I’m not either. I’m going to take a bath. Sounds like a much better use of my time.”

That’s awfully convenient, he narrows his eyes at Sakusa walking upstairs. Maybe he isn’t such a skeptic after all. “Can I join ya, Omi-Omi?” He looks up at the man from under his eyelashes with hooded eyes. 

Looking over his shoulder, Sakusa looks Atsumu up and down before replying, “Ew.” He continues up the stairs like he didn’t just stab him through the heart. What a man.

It’s not Atsumu’s fault that he’s irrevocably in love with Sakusa. Nor is it his fault that Sakusa seems to take all of Atsumu’s flirting as a joke. It’s painfully obvious how real his pining is to everyone else.

**23:54**

Not wanting to participate, but unwilling to leave by himself, Atsumu sits on the couch and hugs a pillow to his chest. Akaashi and Kageyama join him. The other four pull up a chair to the table they’re using for the Ouija board. 

They have the lights turned off and lit candles close by. Suna is the one that tries talking to the dead. He doesn’t seem all the interested. 

That is until Hinata squawks, “Who moved it?!” 

“It wasn’t me!” Bokuto says. 

Atsumu hesitantly looks over, “Cut it out, guys! If y’all are just tryin’ to freak me out, it’s workin’!”

“Hey, it’s spellin’ somethin’,” Osamu points out.

“Danger.”

Suna seems a bit more serious now, “What danger?”

Atsumu watches as the Ouija moves all over the board and then flies off the table completely. The occupants all let out startled yelps.

“One of you was moving it, right?” Hinata asks in a small voice. 

No one says anything.

“Alright, shows over,” Akaashi gets up to turn on the lights, but when he flips the switch, nothing happens.

Atsumu stands up and points at them, “I told ya not to mess with it! Now look what ya’ve done!”

His brother rolls his eyes, “Chill out wouldja? The backup generator just needs to be turned on.”

“Well I elect Bokkun to go do it!”

Bokuto puts up little protest when Akaashi gives him a look and says he’ll go with him. As the couple puts on their outside gear, Atsumu plops back down on the couch. Now he has the Heebie Jeebies. 

-💀-💀-💀-

**00:34**

Koutarou swears he didn’t move the Ouija board. When he pulls a prank, he’ll own up to it. Plus he just got Hinata and Atsumu in the basement. You have to spread it out! No, it definitely moved on its own. Unless Hinata was trying to get him back. Then what about the power going out? Akaashi would say it’s just a coincidence.

The shed isn't too far away from the main lodge, so he’ll have this thing up and running in no time! He’s glad Akaashi is here, though. It’s kind of spooky out here at night. 

It’s nice that everyone is able to get together like this. Now that they’re all in university, life is pretty hectic. A nice ski trip is what everyone needs. He himself prefers snowboarding, though. 

Holding Akaashi’s gloved hand, Koutarou hums to some tune as they walk. The shed should be just around the corner here. Approaching, they see something laying on the side of the path. He puts an arm in front of his boyfriend as they stop. 

“What is that?”

“It looks like an animal,” Akaashi says. 

Carefully, they approach. It’s a deer and it looks like it was attacked by something. 

Bokuto looks at the slashes on the creature, “Did it get mauled by a bear?”

“It’s highly unlikely for a bear to be this high up on the mountain, but I suppose it is possible.”

Then the deer is dragged into the trees like a ragdoll right before their eyes. 

“Oh fuck!” Koutarou grabs Akaashi’s hand and makes a break for the shed. He fumbles with the keys as the other man frantically looks around.

“Koutarou, hurry!”

Inserting the key, he turns the lock. Heaving the door open, they both run inside and slam the door closed. 

“Shit! Fuck!” Akaashi is pacing around in the shed trying to calm himself. 

Pulling the frantic man into an embrace, Koutarou pets his head trying to calm him down. Not that he’s not freaked out himself, but Akaashi is his primary concern. 

“Are you alright, Keiji?”

The raven nods, “Let’s just get this generator going and get back.”

After a quick inspection, they are easily able to get the generator running. Now they have to go back. Koutarou would call, but they haven’t had cell reception since they took the cable car up here. Looking around, he spots a rifle on the wall. Weird, but he’s not going to complain at the moment. He goes over to check it out and finds that it’s loaded. That’s not very good gun safety, Miya brothers. Honestly, the shed is pretty nice. It’s like a big man cave. Maybe they can just stay in here tonight. 

Akaashi stands by the door, looking out the window. Turning to face him he says, “Kou, maybe we should just-”

Suddenly, the window shatters as a long, emaciated arm breaks through. It’s pale grey hand with its long clawed fingers grabs Akaashi by the neck and roughly pulls him out the window screaming. His broken glasses land on the floor.

“KEIJI!”


	2. Something's Out There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto tries to find Akaashi, meanwhile the other guys back at the lodge become concerned about what's taking the couple so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure if this story warrants a mature rating, but I went ahead and bumped it up just in case. The characters do tend to cuss a lot and there will be blood and injury. I also added in timestamps to give you since of when certain events are happening. And yes, I've decided this will be four chapters now. Things got a little hectic. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**00:52**

“KEIJI!” Koutarou yells as the man disappears through the window right before his eyes. 

He doesn’t know what he just saw, only that it has Akaashi. Grabbing the rifle and a lantern, he dashes out of the shed and towards the sound of strangled cries in the night. The sound is gut-wrenching and will forever haunt Koutarou’s nightmares.

“Oh my god. Oh, fuck!” 

He’s muttering to himself as he races across the uneven terrain. Heart hammering in this chest, he’s working on pure adrenaline. He can’t see past where the lantern illuminates, and the snow falling only distorts his vision further. Yelling _Keiji_ repeatedly into the night, hoping he’ll hear an answer, fuels him to run faster. Koutarou has to save him. Nothing can happen to his Akaashi! 

Approaching a river, he skillfully hops across the slippery rocks to the other side. He can’t waste a single moment. Akaashi’s life is on the line. Reaching the edge of a cliff he hears Akaashi screaming his name. Koutarou uses the scope on the rifle to look down and sees Akaashi is crawling on the ground before he’s dragged away by a creature.

Oh shit! Akaashi is right there! With no time to lose, he straps the gun to his back and jumps down the cliff. He slows his descent by grabbing a branch. 

“KEIJI!”

Taking off at full speed again, he jumps over a steep ledge and shimmies across the narrow passage. There, he comes upon an overpass overlooking the old mines. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He risks sliding down into the tunnels. Landing on loose rock and gravel, he’s immersed in darkness. 

Standing up, he holds out the lantern to take in his surroundings with wild eyes. His chest heaves with every breath he takes like an animal about to attack. It’s dusty down here, and spider webs hang from the decaying wood. The air feels stagnant, like no one has breathed it in years. There’s a wooden ramp that leads up to another level of the mine. There’s not much time to think, so he prays it’s the right way. Koutarou walks up as fast as he dares on the creaking wood. 

There in the dim light is Akaashi laying on the ground. Koutarou rushes over and kneels down by his side. His clothes are ripped like he’s been raked by sharp claws. Blood clings to his pale skin, slowly oozing from his open wounds. His beautiful face is littered with scratches and small cuts. 

“Oh god, Keiji,” he doesn’t know where to touch. What can he do to help make it better?

Akaashi weakly reaches up for his face, “You came for me.”

“Of course I did.” He’ll follow Akaashi to the ends of the Earth. He’s Koutarou’s whole world. 

As he reaches to grasp Akaashi’s hand in his own, there’s a sickening creak. What he thought was ground, he realizes, is actually an elevator shaft. It shifts as the rotten wood breaks and bends. Before he can do anything, the elevator is plunging down with Akaashi still on it.

Reaching down into the now open shaft, he screams, “KEIJI!”

He’s not dead. He can’t be dead. Akaashi is fine. He just has to find a way to get deeper into the mines is all. This is the only thing keeping Koutarou from crumpling to the ground in despair. 

A shadow on the tunnel wall catches his attention. Readying the rifle, he sees a distinctly human figure walking away. Following the person, he reaches where the tunnel connects to the outside. There’s a large building in the distance. It seems to be where the stranger is headed. Is that the old sanatorium? Koutarou has no idea where he is or how to get back to the lodge. With no other choice, he decides to head to the building ahead. 

**01:13**

He follows the stranger and watches them enter the sanatorium with two… are those wolves? 

He has to keep going. This is the only way he can save Akaashi. He’ll ask this person what he knows. They have to know something. No one willingly lives in a fucking sanatorium without being up to something fishy.

Scaling the stone wall, he drops into a courtyard. A fountain sits in the center and is surrounded by overgrown shrubbery. In the moonlight, it’s extremely eerie and makes goosebumps spread down his arms. There’s a feeling in his gut that says, “Don’t go in there.” However, Koutarou is no coward. 

The door to the sanatorium opens easily. Entering, he sees it's basically destroyed on the inside. The once-proud walls are crumbled and broken on the ground. It’s quiet, though he swears he occasionally hears a distant wail. 

Ahead is another door, this one leads to the chapel. Through a slot, he can see the person and the wolves. He tries opening it, but it’s locked. Should he call out? What if this person is dangerous? When they walk out of sight, Koutarou turns back to find another way to go. Maybe he shouldn’t bother people like that after all.

A sign that says _Admin_ hangs above an open threshold. It’s a mess inside. Dingy walls are covered in ripped wallpaper and random items are littered around on the concrete floor. Old pictures still hang on some of the walls, though they’re crooked and the glass is cracked.

Pressing on, Koutarou navigates the narrow halls. He passes several rooms, though none have much to offer. Sometimes he sees an old notice or records from when the sanatorium was still in operation. It’s curious why some of these things are just left here for anyone to find. 

He scans a few of them, looking for anything that could be considered remotely useful. All he gains is more questions. Something weird happened here. 

The hallway ends up leading to a staircase going down, and the lower level is in even worse condition. It’s decrepit. There’s a machete stuck in a wooden table in some kind of gunk. It’s gross, but it might come in handy. He latches it onto his belt.

Old dried blood is smeared on the walls along with god knows what else. In a corner is some kind of restraining chair with blood all over it. What happened there? He doesn’t want to know.

He holds up his lantern to make out something on a wall with chipped paint. Someone has carved deep into it _HOW MANY DAYS WILL THEY KEEP US HERE?_ It had to have taken a long time to carve something like that. Something about this whole thing just isn’t right. Koutarou may not be the smartest man, but this whole thing screams _wrongwrongwrong_.

This is the kind of place you find in horror movies. The one that they say is haunted by the spirits of the damned. A chill rushes up his spine. He wants to get out of here.

Increasing his pace, he soon comes to a doorway and freezes. Inside the room, something is moving. Is... Is that an arm? Slowly walking closer to investigate, the decaying arm moves side to side like it’s on some kind of mechanism. Why? Did that person do this? Something is tied around the wrist. He doesn’t want to touch it, but what if it’s important? He thinks this place might have the answers he’s looking for somewhere. Is this where whatever that creature was came from?

Reaching out to grab the tag on the wrist, he barely touches it when a bear trap clamps down on his left pinky and ring finger.

He screams out in pain. “AHH! OH FUCK!” 

The slightest move tugs on his crushed fingers pulling the muscles and bones apart. Oh shit, what should he do? Then he remembers the machete. Biting his bottom lip, he uses it to pry open the trap, but it slips and clamps back down. Koutarou grunts in pain and frustration before trying again. 

With the precision of a surgeon, he carefully maneuvers the machete allowing him to quickly draw his fingers out. The weapon ends up breaking under the stress of the trap, but his fingers are free. 

They’re most definitely broken with the unnatural angle they’re bent, but they’re still attached. He can see the bone sticking out through the bloody mess. A quick glance around finds him some gauze, which he uses to wrap them up. With a deep breath, he continues forward.

On a shelf sits a lone jar. Holding up his lantern, there’s some kind of strange skull inside of it. It looks vaguely human, but it’s grotesque. It appears he’s in the morgue. Only a few of the chambers remain closed. Is he really going to open it for the sake of being thorough? Thinking of Akaashi, he decides that, yes; yes he will.

Opening the first cold chamber, he finds a name tag. Cause of death: laceration to throat by inmate. In another, a death certificate says organs were eaten by the attacker. What the fuck? Are there cannibals living up here? He shutters at the thought. Does... Does that mean that’s why it wanted Akaashi?

Pushing the thought from his mind, he opens one more to find someone still fucking in it. Decayed grey skin clings tightly to the body. There’s even still something in the breast pocket of its shirt. Clenching his jaw, he snatches the item. It’s a security pass. Perfect. Now he can get into the chapel. 

Going through the next doorway, he takes the staircase back up to the main floor. A snarling bark from right behind him alerts him to the danger. It’s a wolf! Dashing up the stairs, he tries to find a place to go. The wolf is right on his heels. Running in an unknown direction, he finds a usable door and slams it closed behind him. The animal snarls just beyond the wood. 

Breathing heavily, he leans his back against the door. Shit. Taking a look around, he recognizes where he is. Good. He’s right where the chapel door is. Time to find out what Mr. Stanger Man has inside.

-💀-💀-💀-  
**01:16**

“They sure are taking their sweet time,” Atsumu says from his spot near the fireplace. The power is restored, but Bokuto and Akaashi have yet to return. 

Osamu hums in agreement, “Hmm. Maybe they wanted some alone time.”

“Or maybe the ghost got them,” Suna smirks over at Atsumu. 

“Ha-Ha. You’re so funny Sunarin.” 

Osamu decides he should go out and check on them. Suna elects to go with him. Then suddenly it’s a group activity when Kageyama and Hinata volunteer as well. They turn to Atsumu. 

“I don’t wanna leave Omi here by himself.”

Osamu rolls his eyes, “Whatever, ya big baby.”

The four of them head out towards the shed. The storm is starting to pick up. That’s probably what cut the power in the first place. He’s not sure why they need four people to check on two others, but whatever. 

When they arrive, the scene that greets them isn’t what any of them expect. 

“Is that blood?!” Hinata gasps. 

The shed door is wide open and blood drips from the glass of the clearly shattered window. They can’t see any footprints as they’ve since been covered by snow. 

“What happened? Were they attacked by something?” Suna contemplates out loud. 

“I don’t think an animal is going to do that,” Osamu gestures to the window. “We need to contact someone. There’s a fire tower further down. I’ll go since I know the way.”

“I’m going with you. No one needs to be out in this storm alone and with whatever did this,” Suna firmly demands. 

“Alright. Hinata, Kageyama, go back to the lodge and let ‘Tsumu know. Be careful.”

The two dash back towards the lodge leaving Osamu and Suna alone. Firmly grabbing his boyfriend’s arm, Osamu leads the way to the tower. 

Maybe Atsumu was right not to fuck with the Ouija board. Shit. This was supposed to be a fun trip with friends and now two of them are missing. One is potentially injured. 

The silence between Suna and him isn’t as comfortable as it usually is. They’re both too on edge. Every small snap has them wheeling around to check if something is there. Osamu feels as though something is watching them. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up, protesting going any further into the dark. 

**02:23**

Despite the unease, they make it to the tower with no issues. Suna sighs at the tall ladders they have to traverse to reach the top. With a nudge of encouragement, the lanky man starts the climb up towards the hatch that leads into the tower.

Once they both make it up, Osamu flips on the power to the tower and starts fiddling with the radio. There’s only static as he tries to find the right frequency. Suna closes the hatch to try and keep the cold out. 

“Will we be able to contact anyone in this storm?” Suna asks as he looks around. 

“I sure hope so. We need help finding Bokuto and Akaashi.” 

“Hey, here’s a flare gun,” he says, grabbing it from the emergency flare cabinet. “Should we shoot it off?”

“I doubt anyone will see it in this weather.”

“Hm. You’re right. You hold onto it,” Suna hands it over to Osamu.

He takes it and narrows his eyes at his boyfriend, “Yer lazy ass just doesn’t wanna carry it.” Suna just shrugs his shoulders without any guilt. Finding the correct station, Osamu tries to communicate with a park ranger. “Hello? We need help out here at the Miya lodge. Our friends are missing and one might be injured.”

After a few tries, the ranger is able to hear them properly. “We can’t send a helicopter out until dawn because of the storm.”

Osamu sighs in defeat. That’s the best they can do right now. Hopefully, they’re alright. He looks to Suna who seems just as distressed. Now they need to make the trek back to the lodge. 

They’re startled when the hatch rattles with a loud bang. Someone is trying to get in! Shit! Suna grabs his arm as they brace themselves for the potential threat. However, nothing breaks through, and the pounding stops. Briefly glancing at each other out of the side of their eyes, they don’t dare open the hatch.

Then, the tower starts to groan as it jolts. Suna catches Osamu as he stumbles, though as the tower begins to tilt, neither can keep their footing as they stumble about. When the tower falls completely sideways, he catches himself on a support beam and holds onto it for dear life. However, Suna isn’t able to grab anything and falls straight onto the window, causing it to crack.

“Rin!” 

Suna looks up to Osamu, who is dangling in the air. The radio breaks loose and smashes through the window as Suna dodges out of the way. But the uneven pressure causes the remaining glass to shatter under his weight. He manages to grab hold of the railing on the side of the tower. The railing is loose and Osamu can tell that it won’t hold for long. 

Suna’s usually hooded eyes are wide in fear as he dangles over the mine shaft. The tower begins to slide down further and starts to sink into the mines. It crashes down hard, but the tower's tip is caught on the other side of the ravine over the mine. He needs to get to Suna before it completely collapses. 

Navigating his way using the shattered window ledges, Osamu manages to pull himself up and out of the tower. Now standing on unsteady beams, he looks down to see Suna standing on the bit of railing that’s partially detached and holding on to another rail piece. 

“Osamu! Help! I can’t reach!”

“It’s gonna be okay, Rin. I’ve got ya.” He tries to stay calm and think rationally. But the way the tower keeps slipping has him reaching down to Suna without a plan. Small rocks crumble down the sides of the dropoff when the tower starts to crumple inwards. Just a little further and he can reach him! 

The sudden balance change makes the metal jolt, and Suna falls further down as he now dangles on the railing. “Shit! I don’t wanna tip it.” Looking down at his boyfriend, Suna’s eyes are no longer afraid.

“Osamu, it’s going to collapse. Get yourself to safety.” He says it so calmly, like he’s already accepted his fate.

No, no, no! “No! Rin, I’ll get ya!” He shuffles forward.

“Osamu, stop. Please. Just save yourself. It’ll be okay.”

Osamu sees the ledge he can jump to, but he can’t. He just can’t! His eyes fill with tears, and he can feel his nose getting puffy. “Rin, no. Please!”

He gives a sad smile. “I love you, Miya Osamu.” Then he lets go.

“RINTAROU!” He lurches forward trying to save what he already knows isn’t possible. The tower begins to shake, and Osamu jumps to safety just as the tower collapses fully down into the mine.

The wind is knocked out of him when he lands flat on his back with a breathy Oof. Oh fuck. He sits up quickly, causing pain to race through his body. He carefully gets up to find his ankle is most definitely sprained. He hobbles over to look down the mine shaft. Pieces of the fire tower can be seen caught along the way. 

No, no, no. Surely Suna is here somewhere. “Rin!” He calls whipping around to try and find the other man like he’ll be right there. Limping further into the mining tunnel, he calls again. “Rintarou!”

In his distracted state, someone grabs his leg. Falling hard on the rocky debris, he’s dragged through the mine. Oh fuck, shit, fuck! He feels around for something, anything to defend himself with. On his waistband, the flare gun still sits snugly. Pulling it out, he aims it into the dark where his attacker most likely should be. 

The red light fires out and lights up his surroundings briefly. His attacker lets go of him and screeches as it flees. He couldn’t really tell what they looked like, but thank god they left. 

Osamu lays flat on his back, panting heavily for a moment. Holy shit.

-💀-💀-💀-  
**02:02**

Shouyou and Kageyama burst through the front door of the lodge, startling Atsumu. 

“What the hell guys? Where’s everyone else?” 

Heaving for air, Shouyou explains, “Bokuto-san and Akaashi-san are missing! There was blood and a smashed window. Osamu-san and Suna-san went to the fire tower to try and radio someone for help.”

“What?!” Atsumu springs up from his seat on the floor. “What do ya mean missing?!”

“I-I don’t know! It looked like they might have been attacked!”

Running his hands through his blonde hair, Atsumu paces back and forth. “Oh shit! What are we supposed to do?! ‘Samu and Sunarin are out there now, too!”

Hinata and Kageyama both stand there helplessly. Neither of them know what to do. Inching closer to Kageyama, he feels a bit safer. His strong and imposing figure comforts the ginger. 

Seeming to have collected his thoughts, Atsumu stops pacing and turns to them. “Alright. Okay. Shouyou-kun, go find Omi. Tobio-kun, go in the basement and see if ya can find a radio, weapons, anything useful. I’m gonna grab a few things then go to the shed to get some guns and ammo.”

“Do you not have any in here?” Kageyama asks bewildered.

“Ma doesn’t like guns in the house. Now scram,” he turns and walks into a different room. 

“Umm, I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to go alone,” Shouyou whispers. Kageyama shrugs and looks back at him before heading down to the basement.

Shouyou has a task at hand, he can’t worry too much. Atsumu surely knows what he’s doing. Plus he and Kageyama made it there and back just fine. Whatever was there and attacked Bokuto and Akaashi is surely gone.

Deciding to check the bathroom first, he heads upstairs. The sound of classical music is heard through the door. So Sakusa has just been in ignorant bliss to everything happening this whole time. Shouyou hates to be the one to break it to him. 

Knocking on the door he calls to the man, “Omi-san?” No answer. Knocking a bit louder, he tries again, “Omi-san!”

“What?”

“Umm. There’s kind of a situation.”

The classical music shuts off, and Sakusa opens the door wearing a white bathrobe. “What do you mean?”

Looking up at the man glowering at him in his already sensitive state makes him fidget and stutter. “A-Akaashi-san and Bo-Bokuto-ss-san, uh, they’re gone.”

“Explain.”

“There was bl-blood! An-and they weren’t there!”

Sakusa pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. Apparently, Shouyou isn’t making much sense. Is he not saying the right words? “I can’t understand anything you’re saying. Where is everyone else?”

He goes for short and simple, “Basement.”

Sakusa moves past him to head downstairs and then to the basement. Shouyou scurries behind him. They find Kageyama rummaging through random objects. He doesn’t appear to be accomplishing much. 

Sakusa gets his attention, “What’s going on?”

Kageyama recaps the events Sakusa missed like you’d tell someone about the weather, “The power went out after we messed with the Ouija board. Bokuto and Akaashi went to the shed to turn on the backup generator. They never came back. We went to check on them. There was blood and a smashed window. Osamu and Suna went to the fire tower to contact someone for help. Here we are.”

The man still clad in a bathrobe blinks a few times, then says, “What the fuck?” He massages his temple and looks around the basement. “Where’s Atsumu?”

“He said he was going to the shed to get guns and ammo.”

“Is he an idiot?!” Shouyou and Kageyama both shrug. “Goddammit!” Sakusa stomps back up the stairs to presumably stop Atsumu before he leaves.

Kageyama and Shouyou look at each other dumbly. Should they go after him? 

“Hey! Shouyou! Kageyama!” They both jump at the sudden loud voice calling their names. Looking around, they don’t see anyone. “Over here! Guys!” 

Then they spot Bokuto behind a wall grate. Shouyou gasps, “Bokuto-san! You’re okay!” He rushes over to his friend. “Where’s Akaashi-san?”

Bokuto’s eyes shimmer with tears, though none fall. “I’m not sure.” As he talks, Kageyama finds a tool to open the grate and let Bokuto out. “Some creature grabbed him. I chased it all the way into the mines. And I found him, my Keiji. But then the elevator collapsed and he,” the man trails off. Shouyou decides not to ask about his hand.

Climbing into the basement, he stays uncharacteristically quiet. They decide to reconvene upstairs. 

Sakusa looks surprised to see Bokuto, considering what he just learned. He looks to Hinata with a questioning look. The smaller man shakes his head. Sakusa’s eyes seem to glow a little dimmer. 

“I can’t find Atsumu. He must have already left. If he’s not back in fifteen minutes, I’m going after him.”

Bokuto looks up with dark eyes, “If he’s not back in fifteen minutes, it’s already too late. It will have got him.”

“What do you mean?”

“The creature,” he says hollowly. 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” 

Bokuto doesn’t answer and stares silently ahead. Sakusa is obviously extremely irritable and says he’s going to go change. This leaves the three of them in the den. So are they supposed to just wait here for someone else to come back? What if they don’t? Is Akaashi… dead? 

Shouyou clings to Kageyama’s arm, “Tobio, I’m scared.”

The raven pulls him into an embrace, “We’ll get through this.”

As the wind outside howls and rattles the frozen window panes, an unknown creature lurks in the shadows. It just waits for its prey to make a move. The friends can only hope that everyone is somehow alive.


	3. Creatures of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suna tries to escape the mine, while the others back at the lodge still are unsure of what's really happening. Soon they'll get answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, and leaves kudos. I really appreciate it! 
> 
> I feel like the boys are cursing in every other sentence, but when you're in a life or death situation, it kinda happens 🤷 This chapter was starting to get pretty long on me, so I guess the conclusion will be just crammed full of our boys' misadventures. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**02:56**

Rintarou should be dead. He had accepted it when he let go. And now hanging upside down from a rope that somehow wrapped around his right leg, he kind of wishes that he was. He’s deep inside an old mine with no idea how to get out, and he’s in excruciating pain. The impact of the fall combined with a stiff rope stopping gravity from finishing him off has left him with what has to be at least a torn muscle in his leg. 

What the fuck is he supposed to do now? In all the commotion, something managed to start a fire, so he can at least see a little. Below him is still at least a twenty-foot drop, and above him, parts of the fire tower groan and creak ominously. He can either wait for the tower to eventually give way and crush him or try to untie the rope and finish his fall to the cold, hard ground. Neither is appealing. Seriously, fuck his life.

Well, if he’s alive might as well try and stay that way. Osamu should have been able to get to safety. That means Rintarou can see him again. So with extreme effort, he lifts his upper body up with his very minimal core strength to try and untie the rope. How the fuck did it get so wrapped around him anyway?

He manages to get it started, and then it just completely unravels, dropping Rintarou like a rock. Somehow he manages to land on his right side, the side with his injured leg. Jesus Christ. The metal beams above him start to slide down the sides again, forcing him to crawl out of the way just in time for it to crash down and further into the mines. Fucking hell. 

Rintarou tries to stand and immediately falls back down. His leg is fucked. God, it hurts. His calf feels like it’s on fire with how the throbbing pain rushes through it. Maybe he has a broken bone somewhere in there, too. He could lay down and accept defeat, but he has to get back to Osamu. He doesn’t want to die down here.

Pulling himself over to some loose debris, he digs through to find something he can use as a splint. There’s one that will have to be good enough. Then he takes off his coat and rips the right arm off his long-sleeved shirt. Sticking the wood inside his boot, he wraps the cloth around to help secure it in place. 

He tests his weight on it. Still fucking hurts like a bitch, but it’s the best he can do. There’s a tunnel to his left, and it’s dark as hell in there. He rips off his left sleeve and grabs another piece of wood. Slipping his coat back on, he hobbles over to the fire that’s still burning and lights the fabric he wrapped on the wood to make a torch. Alright. 

Shuffling down the tunnel, there’s nothing but darkness. The stone walls lining the tunnel offer no warmth or comfort. The dead silence is only broken by an echoing screech that Rintarou hopes is some kind of freaky bat. Walking forward is the only choice he has, and it leads only further down into the mine. 

Ahead appears to be a sign. When he gets close enough, he can see it’s for an elevator. Oh, thank fuck. He follows the indicated direction, and around the corner, there’s the elevator. It looks rickety and unstable, but beggars can’t be choosers. He can only pray it works. 

Limping into the elevator, he pulls the lever. Nothing. Of fucking course. He wonders if there’s still a way to turn it on. Looking around, he sees what might be a power switch up on a platform. There’s a rusty ladder that leads up to it. 

Rintarou closes his eyes, grits his teeth, and breaths in a deep breath. This is going to fucking suck.

Carefully maneuvering onto the ladder, he tries to brace most of his weight with his arms and left leg, all the while still holding this stupid torch. The strain on his body is immense. Plus, he doesn’t trust this thing to not break under his weight. 

Right as his head peaks over the top, Rintarou sees a burst of flames further down a tunnel. That horrible screeching follows. What the fuck was that? Is someone down here? It looked like a flamethrower. Not wanting to be burned to a crisp, he quickly pulls himself the rest of the way up.

He didn’t think he’d actually make it up here. When he flips the switch, the few overhead lights come to life. Oh thank god, something good actually happened. Going back over to the ladder, he looks down and grimaces. This is going to be even worse. He’s half tempted to just throw himself down off the platform. 

By the time he manages to climb down, he’s exhausted. Sweat pours down his face as he pants through the effort he exuded. Please, please let the elevator work. He drags himself over and pulls the lever. The elevator rises. Oh, thank you. It’s much smoother than he expected. However, his fortune doesn’t last long, as it abruptly jolts to a stop. Dammit.

Stepping out, he turns the corner and sees a man with a flamethrower. Rintarou surges back and presses himself against the wooden panel that separates them. He can’t run between his injuries and how tired he is. His body just won’t do it. Breathing heavily, he tries to calm himself. Is this it? Death by fire? Is this who attacked Bokuto and Akaashi?

The crunch of gravel and rock emanates from the man’s footsteps. His heartbeat is so fast he feels like he might choke on it. Keeping as still as possible, he watches the man walk by. He thinks he wasn’t seen, but then the stranger turns and looks right at him.

Rintarou’s eyes widen in panic. _Shit, shit, shit._ The man has blonde hair held back with a headband and wears a bandana to cover his nose and mouth along with some kind of weird sunglasses. He grabs Rintarou’s arm with a gloved hand.

“Let go of me!” He pulls back against the man’s grip.

“Shh! Quiet!” Then the man lets go and turns away. “Use these!” He throws something to the bewildered boy. “Get the hell out! Now!”

Not bothering to look back, Rintarou scurries away as fast as he can. The man gave him a bag of flares. He pops one open to light his way down the dark tunnel and places the bag’s strap over his head. He doesn’t know if he’s going the right way. All of these tunnels look the same, and he can’t even see shit. 

The red of the sparkling flare sets the tunnel in a glow of red. It’s a bit unnerving. He keeps hearing those shrieks, and now there’s scratching noises. What is that?! Rintarou can’t panic now. Panicking leads to death in these situations. And really, he doesn’t even know what the situation is exactly. The man seemed like he was about to fight something. Is there something so bad down here that he needs a flamethrower?!

The screeches and scratching are getting louder. Is something chasing him? The endless tunnel comes to a dead end. _Fuck!_ Rintarou frantically whips his head to look around. There’s a small gap he could probably squeeze through. He looks back down the way he came. The screeches are coming from that way, it’s not an option. 

Shuffling sideways between the rock wall and wooden planks, he squeezes through. It opens up a bit on the other side. This has to be the right way, right? He’s gone maybe ten feet in when suddenly a pale grey hand breaks through the panel right by his head. What the fuck is that?!

His fight or flight instincts have officially kicked in and his brain is telling him to flee. Rintarou takes off, not even feeling the pain in his leg at the moment. Another skeletal arm reaches through the panels and tries to swipe at him. Whatever that thing is, it’s what was making the sounds because it’s so fucking loud. All Rintarou can do is run. It’s right behind him. _Oh fuck, oh shit, oh my god._ The path ahead splits to the left and right. He chooses to go left in a split-second decision.

It appears to be the right choice. There’s an elevator. He pulls the lever and it slowly begins to rise. _It’s fine. You’re going to make it out of this, Rintarou. Osamu is waiting for you. Calm down._

The elevator jolts to a stop at the top of the mine shaft. Yes! Before he can bolt to freedom, something starts shaking the elevator. Rintarou presses himself to the back of the wall and doesn’t dare move a muscle. That creature snarls right outside the elevator box. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see a shape moving on the side. _Deep breathes, Rin. In and out._

When the noises get further away, he makes a break for it. That thing is going to hear him. He has to slow it down. As he runs, he tips over any objects he can to block the way. A barrel he knocks over looks to be leaking a propellant of some sort. That guy was fighting them with fire, so Rintarou tosses his flare on the liquid and sets it ablaze. 

Ahead of him is a large conveyor belt. He pulls the On lever and gets on it. It’s too steep to walk up, so he crawls, trying to get to the top as fast as possible. As he approaches the top, he hears a machine. What’s that? He doesn’t worry about it. 

There’s a gap he’s going to have to jump. He pushes off, but his right leg buckles, and he doesn’t clear it. Managing to grab the edge, he sees the machine in question is a rock grinder right fucking below him. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_ Scrambling for purchase, he pulls himself up and takes off in a sprint. Fuck his leg. Fuck his life. Fuck this fucking mountain!

He makes it through a doorway. Pushing the door closed, he locks the latch and takes a moment to breathe. It’s a mistake. The creature breaks through part of the wooden wall and grabs his arm. Sharp teeth sink into the flesh of his right shoulder. Letting out a scream, he lurches away from the door. The creature fully bursts through allowing Rintarou to get his first proper look at it.

The thing is a humanoid with pale grey skin that clings taut to its skeletal figure. Sharp clawed fingers grip the broken door frame at an unnatural angle, its legs in a wide stance, almost reminiscent of a spider. Milky white eyes sit in its corpse-like face. Jagged teeth adorn the mouth, ready to devour its prey. 

_Oh hell no! FUCK!_

Rintarou sees what might be a zip line and grabs a hold without a second thought. Whizzing down the cable, it’s going too fast, and the end is approaching. This zip line is not meant for people. The pulley slams into the stopper and sends Rintarou flying through the air. The world whirls around him before he slams onto the ground and tumbles down a snow-covered hill. 

He doesn’t think he can get up right now, but he made it. He fucking made it. 

-💀-💀-💀-  
**04:11**

Shouyou, Kageyama, and Bokuto have had a hell of a time trying to keep Sakusa from leaving the lodge to go looking for Atsumu. They aren’t about to have another person disappear. 

“He’s been gone for almost two hours, Omi-kun. He’s not coming back,” Bokuto says glumly from his spot in front of Sakusa. 

Sakusa doesn’t grace him with a response from where he sits with his arms crossed. The atmosphere is tense. Half of their friends are missing. None of them dare say anything about them possibly being dead, though he’s sure the thought is in everyone’s mind. 

Pounding on the front door catches their attention and has them snapping their heads towards it. Sakusa stands and looks hopeful. 

“Let me in!” The voice says and continues pounding. It’s Suna!

Shouyou runs over to unlock and open the door. Suna dashes in and promptly collapses to the floor. “Hinata! Lock it!” 

Locking the door, he notes that Suna is the most frantic Shouyou has ever seen him. And he looks terrible. His right leg is wrapped, he’s covered in dark smudges, there’s blood on him, and he just collapsed. What happened to him? “Suna-san, what happened? Are you alright?”

Suna ignores Shouyou’s question and pushes himself on his back, breathing heavily. His eyes scan everyone’s faces. “Where’s Osamu?!”

Kageyama steps forward, “I thought he was with you.”

Panic flashes in Suna’s eyes. “You mean he hasn’t made it back?” He takes in everyone’s confused expressions. He clutches his head and begins to mutter to himself, “No, no, no, no.”

Shouyou and the others exchange weary looks. Sakusa takes initiative, “Suna. You need to tell us what happened. And let us treat your injuries.”

The man on the floor is visibly trying to regain his composure. Everyone gives him a moment. “Osamu and I went to the fire tower and contacted the park ranger. They can’t send a helicopter until dawn because of the storm. Then it just… collapsed.”

Sakusa crouches down in front of him, “What do you mean it collapsed?”

“It collapsed!” He makes a falling motion with his arm. “I fell into the mines, but Osamu should have been able to jump to safety. In the mines… There’s a monster.”

Bokuto looks to Suna, “Did it have pale skin and claws?”

The brunette nods. “It was terrifying.”

Sakusa seems to still be skeptical. “There’s no such thing as monsters.”

“You didn’t see it! It was right in front of my face! Oh god, what if one of those things got Osamu?!”

“Uh, guys? I think there’s someone outside,” Kageyama interrupts.

They all go silent. Bokuto grabs the rifle he still has and creeps over with Kageyama. On three, he opens the door. 

As soon as the knob is turned, someone busts through and promptly disarms Bokuto. Both men step back, completely at the mercy of a man with a flamethrower. 

“Everyone just calm down. I came here to say something,” he shoos the two of them towards everyone else. The man looks at Suna, “Good. Wasn’t sure you weren’t going to make it kid.”

“This guy kinda helped me out in the mines,” Suna explains when everyone shoots him a curious glance.

“Name’s Ukai, and I’m here to tell you what you’re up against on this mountain. You can choose to not believe me, but it’ll be your funeral.” Ukai looks around to see that he has everyone’s attention. “This mountain’s cursed with the spirit of the Wendigo.”

Sakusa rolls his eyes, “What the hell are you talking about?” 

The older blonde man gives him a disapproving look and continues. “Should anyone resort to cannibalism up here, the spirit of the Wendigo will be unleashed. You need to find somewhere safe.”

“Do you think the basement is safe enough?” Shouyou asks. After everything that’s happened tonight, he’s not going to disregard anything Ukai says.

“Get down there then and wait until morning.”

Sakusa still isn’t satisfied, “What about everyone else? Atsumu might still be at the shed. If all this is real, we can’t just leave him there.”

“He’s probably already dead,” Ukai says nonchalantly.

“Well, I’m going to go check, and this time none of you are going to stop me,” Sakusa glares at all his friends who look back slightly guilty.

“Then I’ll go with you. Going alone is suicide. Here,” he hands him a shotgun. “You’ll need this.”

Sakusa delicately takes the gun and stares at it. Shouyou knows he doesn’t know how to use one, always preferring to watch rather than participate. On the other hand, he does. He’s gone clay pigeon shooting with the Miya twins on multiple occasions. Biting his lip he makes a choice, “Omi-san, I’ll go.”

“No! Absolutely not!” Kageyama grabs his arm.

“Atsumu-san’s one of my best friends, and Omi-san can’t use a gun. I’m going.” Shouyou stands firm until the raven reluctantly lets him go. 

He hesitates for a moment before pulling Shouyou into a kiss. “Please come back safe.”

Shouyou nods, wide-eyed at his friend. Oh my god! That actually happened. He flashes a soft smile at Kageyama, then looks to Ukai after taking the shotgun from Sakusa.

“Follow me, and do everything I tell you to. We need to hurry.”

Shouyou follows Ukai’s lead down the snow coerced path and asks how to kill these Wendigos. He gulps in fear when he’s told that the shotgun will only slow them down. Apparently, the only way to kill them is with fire. You have to burn off their armor-like skin. He decides it’d behoove him to find out as much as he can. 

“They only hunt at night, and they can’t see you if you don’t move. Though I don’t recommend testing it out unless you have no other choice.”

Good to know. Terrifying to think about. 

They arrive at the shed with no issues. The door is closed, unlike the last time Shouyou was here. So it looks like he must have made it here at least. Shouyou opens the door while Ukai watches their backs. 

Peeking inside, his eyes widen when he’s suddenly looking down the barrel of a gun. 

“Oh my god, Shouyou-kun!” Atsumu lowers the barrel out of his face. “Ya scared the shit outta me. What are ya doin’ here?! And who’s that?” He points to Ukai.

“Uh, he’s helping. We came to look for you. You’ve been gone for hours.”

“I was hidin’. Somethin’s out there, and it’s a demon or somethin’ I swear,” he whispers anxiously.

Ukai shushes them. “Quiet. You found your friend, now let’s go.”

The two of them follow the man as they wearily scan their surroundings. Atsumu looks scared shitless. Shouyou wonders if he actually saw one. He must have. The ginger himself doesn’t know what one looks like, but it must be terrible judging by how scared both Suna and Atsumu seem to be.

They don’t make it far when Ukai suddenly stops and says, “Don't move.”

Both Shouyou and Atsumu go rigid, eyes darting around. He hears something close by. A twig snaps.

“RUN!” 

The two friends don’t hesitate and take off towards the lodge. They’ve not gone five steps when something jumps out in front of them on all fours, hunched over like some sort of animal. A better description might be a deformed corpse. Oh god. 

“What the fuck?!”

“Holy shit!” Shouyou understands now more than ever. It’s terrifying even without its sharp teeth bared. Is this really what chased Suna through the mines? Holy fuck! Ukai lets out a blast of fire at it, making the creature jump away. 

“We’ve gotta get out of here!” Ukai says trying to gauge where it went. 

Suddenly, it leaps out of the trees with deft speed and slashes at Ukai. Atsumu and Shouyou can only stare in absolute horror.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god!” Atsumu chants as blood gushes from the man’s neck, dripping down and staining the white snow with red. There’s nothing they can do. It’s already too late. They’re still frozen in shock when Ukai’s head rolls to the ground completely decapitated. 

Then the Wendigo is there again. It lunges at Atsumu who is able to shoot it in the chest, knocking it back. “Oh shit!” 

They run trying not to look back as they whip by the trees in the dark woods. The Wendigo is already after them again. Atsumu turns back to shoot as it draws near. Thankfully he’s a good shot. Shouyou isn’t sure if he'd be able to actually hit it under the stress.

The lodge is in view. Just a bit more! He thinks he sees their friends looking out the window. 

A Wendigo appears in front of them and lunges straight for the two men. Fuck is there more than one after them, or is it just that fast?! Atsumu shoots it, but the monster recovers quickly. This time Shouyou takes aim at the creature, sending the wretched thing flying back. They both run past it and run towards the front door. 

The shotgun doesn’t seem to be doing much anymore though, as it’s leaping towards Shouyou again. He shoots. He misses.

His back hits the ground as the Wendigo pins him down, letting out a loud screech right in his face. He tries to hit it with the butt of the shotgun, but he can’t reach. His heart hammers against his chest. Sharp claws press into his torso. He’s going to die. 

“Shouyou!” Atsumu screams. He aims, and his gun clicks, out of ammo. “Fuck!”

His yell draws Kageyama outside with the rifle. He takes in the scene before him with terror in his eyes, though he doesn’t hesitate to unload into the creature. The rifle isn’t as powerful as the shotgun, so it only staggers back. However, it’s enough for Shouyou to take a shaky aim. This time it connects. Shouyou scrabbles to his feet and looks towards the lodge entrance.

Kageyama stands on the porch, while Sakusa stands in the doorway. He’s not looking at Shouyou, though. Daring to look back, he sees the Wendigo was knocked close to Atsumu. _Oh fuckfuckfuck!_ Shouyou’s made it to the door, and Atsumu is sprinting towards them.

Sakusa’s eyes shine with fear, “Atsumu!” 

They can do nothing as the Wendigo grabs him by the leg. It seems it learned to not pin its prey down, as it starts dragging him away. Atsumu lets out a piercing scream as he fails to get away from the creature. 

“Atsumu!” Sakusa yells again and is held back by Bokuto. 

“Tobio, shoot it!” Shouyou is frantic. He just saw a man get decapitated, but this is worse.

Kageyama tries to aim, but the creature keeps moving erratically. “I can’t. I don’t want to hit Atsumu.”

Atsumu’s screams get farther and farther away. He swears he hears him scream Kiyoomi, but he can’t be sure. Though when Sakusa sinks to his knees, he must have heard it, too. 

Fuck.

They all head inside with solemn expressions. Suna was left on the couch since his injuries have left him basically incapacitated. It appears he heard everything though by the look on his face.

-💀-💀-💀-  
**04:34**

Kiyoomi follows the others down to the basement without a word. Was there something he could have done? There had to have been. If only he had just gone after him when he wanted to the first time. He just can’t believe a monster like that actually exists, but he saw it with his own eyes as it dragged Atsumu to some unknown location. Kiyoomi didn’t even say… Atsumu doesn’t know… 

“Is this a map?” Hinata is digging through Ukai’s stuff. It’s not like he’ll be needing it anymore. The ginger filled them in on what information he gained and hopes to find more. 

Bokuto looks over his shoulder, “Oh god. I was there. It was horrible.” He tells them about everything he saw in the sanatorium. It sounds disgusting. Why are there so many awful things on this mountain?

Taking a look at the map himself, he sees something odd. “Why is there a tunnel leading from the sanatorium to the lodge?”

“I don’t know, but that’s how I got back.”

Suna points to a location in the mines, “There’s where it lives. I was down there.”

“Umm. Suna-san?” Hinata touches the Suna's arm. “What’s that?” His voice is apprehensive.

Suna grabs at his shoulder on instinct. “It- it bit me.”

Bokuto looks genuinely concerned, “Are you alright? Wait, you aren’t going to turn into a Wendigo are you?”

“Ukai said that you turn into one from eating another human,” Kiyoomi says matter of fact. 

Everyone still exchances anxious glances. 

“So I’ll be fine, right? I don’t feel any different. Guys?” Suna’s tired eyes scan his friends' expressions.

Kiyoomi doesn’t think anyone wants to throw Suna out. It’s just they’re all on edge right now. “Let’s finish going through this stuff and see if we can find out any more information before we do anything rash.”

He grabs the journal that belonged to Ukai and starts going through it. There has to be something in here. The change appears to not be instantaneous. It says the eyes are the first to change and can’t see movement. _Because it is mutated from a human, it knows how to hunt us. It can perfectly mimic its prey._ What does that mean? 

Then he finds something relevant. The bite is harmless. The only way to change is through cannibalism. Ukai was bitten before and was fine. Perfect.

“Suna, you’re going to be fine.” 

The brunette looks up, “Let me see.” Kiyoomi passes over the journal. “Oh thank god.” His shoulders finally relax. He keeps reading, seeming rather interested. 

Kiyoomi looks at his friends, who all seem relieved. “I’m going to go find Atsumu.”

His announcement gains everyone’s attention.

“Omi-kun, are you crazy?!” Bokuto grabs his shoulders. 

“You went after Akaashi didn’t you?” Bokuto has no retort for that. Kiyoomi turns to Suna, “And wouldn’t you go after Osamu if you could?” 

“Of course I would, but I love him.” He raises an eyebrow questioningly at Kiyoomi.

“And I love Atsumu,” he declares. “I’m going after him.” 

The four other men gape at him. 

“Hell of a time for you to finally own up to it,” Kageyama snarks. 

Kiyoomi glares at him. Like he’s any better. He eyes the smaller man clinging to Kageyama’s side with an arm wrapped around him.

“Omi-san, are you sure this is a good idea?” Hinata looks at him with big eyes.

“You all have held me back enough tonight. Don’t try and stop me this time.” He leaves to make his way to the sanatorium through the tunnel Bokuto used. He’ll be damned if Atsumu dies alone down in the mine.

-💀-💀-💀-  
**04:52**

Sakusa leaves them all in silence. None of them know what to say. Now Rintarou is left with Bokuto, Hinata, and Kageyama. Sure they’re his friends, but they aren’t always the most logical. Hell, Sakusa was supposed to be the logical one, and he just went on a suicide mission. Everything’s just gone to shit.

He returns to reading the journal for something to occupy his mind. Plus, it’s better to know the enemy than not. This Ukai guy was crazy. Apparently, he killed six Wendigos and somehow managed to capture several more.

“Oh fuck.” The three others cock their heads at Rintarou. “We need to get Sakusa. There’s a fuck ton of Wendigos trapped in the psychiatric ward.” And that’s exactly the way he’s going. He won’t even make it to the mines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final part will be posted before the end of Spooktober!


	4. Down in Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakusa makes his way through the psychiatric wing of the sanatorium while the others try to catch up with him to warn him of the Wendigos that lurk inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with our thrilling conclusion as Spooktober comes to an end! Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, and leaves kudos. I love you all!  
> This last chapter turned out to be a monster. I thought doing chapters 9 and 10 of the game would be fine for one chapter. Narrator: It was not fine. So here's this long ass chapter. 😅
> 
> The angel on my shoulder: Haven't they suffered enough? Let them live! 😇  
> The devil on my shoulder: Kill them all! 😈

**05:07**

The tunnel to the sanatorium leads to big rusted, metal doors. Kiyoomi slides the latch lock behind him. No reason to risk anything slipping inside to where everyone else is. After hearing everything Bokuto said and looking at the map, he has a pretty good idea of the layout. Armed with only a flashlight, he heads up the stairs to the main floor.

Bokuto failed to mention how decrepit this place really is. Everything is dirty and falling apart. Just looking at it makes his skin crawl. It’s an absolute mess. And where are those wolves Bokuto mentioned? He claims the white one is friendly and even named it Wolfie. Kiyoomi isn’t inclined to agree with that sentiment, but if it stops him from being attacked, he can play nice.

There are a couple of locked areas. There’s a shotgun in one of them. It must have belonged to Ukai. Now that he thinks about it, it was probably a terrible idea to come here unarmed. He needs to get in there. It looks like there’s a hole above it from the second floor, so he goes to check it out. Thankfully, he was right and easily drops down into the locked room. 

The shotgun has a sawed-off barrel. Good, that should be easier to use in this situation. Next to the shotgun is an entire tub of ammo, a torch, and a lighter. After watching Atsumu shoot several times in the past, he thinks he has a decent idea of what to do. No time like the present to find out, especially when it’s a matter of life and death. He loads the shotgun with shells and pockets several more. He wants to be prepared since he’s going into the mine. Then he takes the torch and lights it. This will give him a better 360 view of his surroundings. He pockets the lighter as well. 

He’s able to unlock the door from this side, and easily exits back to where he started. Alright, so if he’s in the chapel, then he needs to go through the door at the bottom right of the room. Of course, this door has a padlock on it. Seeing no other option, he shoots the lock. At least his aim is okay at point-blank range. He takes the time to go ahead and reload the shell he used just in case.

When he looks up, the white wolf comes padding around the corner. Ah dammit. Slowly, Kiyoomi crouches down and holds his hand out to the animal. The wolf trots forward and rubs into his touch. 

“Good boy,” he pets his head. “You want to come along? Sniff out some gross Wendigo creatures?” Wolfie cocks his head and walks in front of Kiyoomi. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

The passage he’s going through should take him right to the psychiatric wing. Then there’s a way that leads right outside of the mine. As they enter the center area of the wing, Wolfie stops and starts growling and barking. 

“Shh. Hey, it’s fine.” He tries to calm him down. Kiyoomi doesn’t like that. Animals don’t just do something like that for no reason. Is someone or something in here? He’s staying on high alert. 

There are so many bars in here, it’s like a prison. He supposes that back in the twenties that’s how mentally ill people were treated, though. This whole place is giving him a bad vibe. Asylums are always those places in horror movies and games where bad shit happens. Oh and look at that, bad shit is already happening and it wasn’t even in this place.

He squeezes through the heavy, barred door by prying it away from the wall. This shit is rusty as hell. On the other side is a staircase down. Definitely a prison. There are cells down here. The walls are marked with old dried blood and scratches. 

On the floor is a torn medical report. Curious, he picks it up and reads. It appears whoever was in here was in the process of turning into a Wendigo. Kiyoomi wonders where they are now.

Further in, there’s metal doors that appear dented and stained with blood. He doesn’t like the image this is painting for him. Then he sees Wolfie staring at something. Oh fuck. It’s the corpse of the other wolf. It looks fresh. Fuck. What is he walking into? Is there one of those creatures here still? 

Kiyoomi takes a deep breath and tries to keep a rational mind. Or as rational as he can be right now. He’s literally going into the nest of these fuckers to try and save Atsumu. Fucking hell. 

He doesn’t want to linger in here for long, but there’s also a part of him that wants to confirm what he thinks happened. In another room, there’s an old rotting desk. Kiyoomi opens its draw and pulls out an old case report. Quickly flipping through it, it indeed confirms his fears. There are pictures of a miner’s process of transforming into a Wendigo. 

Bokuto said that he found old reports of a cave-in that trapped twelve miners. Are there twelve of these things?! Oh, fucking shit. He’s not prepared, but he can’t turn back now.

Wolfie is waiting for him at the end of the corridor. Following his companion, he’s back where he first entered, only on the lower level. At least he’s making progress through this hell hole. Walking into the atrium, something moves and startles him. 

Quickly whipping his gun over, it’s just a rat. Disgusting. Watching the little bastard scurry away, there’s something in his peripheral. A Wendigo is staring at him from its perch on some rubble. Oh fuck! The thing opens its mouth full of jagged teeth and screeches before lunging at him.

Kiyoomi doesn’t waste any time in pulling the trigger. Thank god his point-blank aim doesn’t fail him. Fuck! He has to get away from it.

Running deeper into the psychiatric wing, he’s trying not to panic. He knows it’s already after him. Straight ahead, he sees an open cell. He runs in and hastily tries to force the metal barred door closed. He’s able to slam it shut just in time for the Wendigo to jump on it with its gross hunched posture. Oh fucking Christ.

Is this thing strong enough to break through? He’s not taking a chance and shoots at it, sending the monster flying back. Thankfully, it fucks off after that. 

Fuck. Now he’s trapped in this cell. To make matters worse, his torch burns out. Why, why, why? Is this really happening? He’s going to have to go back out there. Fuck! 

There was another open doorway he passed in his haste. That’s probably his best option. First thing’s first, he reloads the two shells he fired. Okay. Okay. _You’ve got this Kiyoomi._ With great reluctance, Kiyoomi opens the cell door with a loud bang. Oh, fucking hell. The Wendigo definitely heard that. 

Careful creeping out, he hears some scuffling. Wolfie? A pale corpse head appears on the stairwell. Nope, not Wolfie. Fuck! The Wendigo leaps and crawls on the walls like fucking Spider-Man, screeching all the while. He’s not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse that these things tend to always get close before attacking, as he hits the creature square in the chest with a bullet. He still needs to get past it, though.

He shoots it again. “Take this, you fucker,” he grits through his teeth.

Entering the room he saw, he closes the door and barricades it with the heavy metal locker. Fuck! _Just keep going. Don’t stop._ He runs into the next room and locks the door behind him. 

Turning around, he sees Wolfie. Fuck! That startled him. How the fuck did he get over here? Kiyoomi pats his head trying to comfort himself. _Good boy._ So if Wolfie got over here, that means other things can, too. Kiyoomi creeps along the floor and crouches when he hears something.

A Wendigo jumps on one of the tables. It doesn’t appear to have spotted him. Remembering what he read, he holds himself steady. It’s hard to breathe, scared that his moving diaphragm will alert the monster. 

It jumps past him onto another table. Keeping his crouched position, Kiyoomi creeps along the side of the room until he turns the corner where he can stand and move freely again. The first thing he hears is a distant screech. Son of a bitch. Where is it?

Keeping the shotgun ready, he keeps his eyes peeled. Wolfie is at his side. Every slight noise has him jumpy. With adrenaline at an all-time high, on edge is an understatement. There’s more of that incessant shrieking. Is there more than one of them here? The corridor has several cells, and there’s little to no visibility. He’s basically flying blind. 

To his right, something inside the cell moves. Jerking back, a Wendigo reaches right where he had been standing. Fuck!

His first thought is to shoot it, but it’s contained. No reason to waster ammo. Alright. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. Just stay away from the cells. Cool. The hallway is lined with cells on both sides. They all appear to be...occupied. Fucking hell. This is a nightmare. A fucking real honest to god nightmare. Fuck this.

Don’t shoot. Conserve ammo. They obviously can’t get out. Fuck, he really wants to shoot these fuckers. Just stay in the center. Easy. It’s fine. None of their grimy, rotting hands can reach him there. The screeching and wailing rings in his ears. It’s a sound he wants to erase from his mind.

At the end of the stretch with the filled cells is an open cell. Kiyoomi doesn’t like that. Not one bit. Approaching with the gun ready, a Wendigo leaps out at him from the dark. The monster’s face is centimeters from his own. He shoots on impulse. That was way too fucking close. It’s then he sees that it’s chained to something inside the cell. Jesus. How many of these fuckers are in here? 

Alright. He’s made it past all those cretins. Wolfie is ahead of him looking at something behind Kiyoomi and growling. Oh fuck. No, no, no. He turns around to see a loose Wendigo. _Oh shit! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Run!_ There’s nothing else he can do in the narrow halls. 

There’s a wooden door ahead, but it’s jammed. Dammit! Come on! The Wendigo is gaining on him. Please let his aim not suck. He only has two shells left in the barrel. Taking aim, he hits the creature. It flies back landing on the ground as another one appears from further down the hall. _Give me a fucking break! Fuck!_

To his right, there’s a barrel. Please let this be flammable. He tips it over and rolls it towards the creatures before shooting it. The blast knocks him down and unleashes some kind of screaming, fiery hell spirit. Fuck! Is that what the spirit of the Wendigo is?

He gets up and forces the door open, then slides the lock closed behind him. Fuck. Okay. Hopefully, that blast didn’t free any of those fucks. With shaking hands, he reloads his gun. That’s the last of the shells. Fuck, he didn’t think he’d even need this many. Now he wishes he had more. These last five will have to last him. 

This part of the sanatorium is so rundown that it’s exposed to the outside. The moonlight helps light his way through the mess of rooms. He still doesn’t like how exposed he feels. Where’d Wolfie go anyway? He ran ahead, but Kiyoomi doesn’t see him. 

An echoing wail comes from behind. “FUCK!” Another fucking Wendigo. Dammit all to hell. 

The door ahead is locked with a padlock. Kiyoomi shoots it open while running towards it. That flimsy wood is not going to hold. He pushes a heavy metal cabinet in front to barricade it. 

There’s a hole in the concrete where he drops down onto a metal walkway. Looking back up, Wolfie is peering down at him. There that little shit is. 

“Come on, buddy,” he tries to coax the wolf. He wants his wolf friend, okay? He might be dead without him. Wolfie’s ears press flat on his head before he decides to join Kiyoomi. “Good boy,” he pats his head. 

He looks to be in the crumbled remains of a boiler room. Wolfie runs ahead to a door that looks like it might lead outside. Finally! Racing up the stairs he tries to open the door. Of course, it’s fucking jammed. Is anything in this godforsaken place not fucked?

Wolfie barks at a Wendigo that drops down in the room. Shit. Another one joins the party. Now there’s two. 

There’s a fuck ton of those barrels in this room. This can either save his life or kill him, but it’ll at least take these assholes with him. He shoots at the pile of barrels and slams against the door to break it open. He and Wolfie flee outside just as the blast consumes the building and sends his body flying into the snow.

The cold night air wails with the shrieks of the spirits leaving their hosts’ bodies and swirling into the sky. He shivers at the sight. Wolfie barks at Kiyoomi. Right. He gets up and runs away from that cursed place.

-💀-💀-💀-  
**05:12**

Rintarou is leaning most of his weight on Bokuto as he gimps down the tunnel with the others. He knows that he’s holding them up, but no one wants to leave him behind. For that, he’s eternally grateful. His leg is fucked. Like extra fucked. Since all the adrenaline has finally worn off, he can’t put any weight on it without sharp pain shooting through his body. 

Hinata is leaning on Kageyama. The ginger’s own injuries aren’t as severe, but those puncture wounds on his chest are nothing to sneeze at. Sakusa can’t be too far ahead of them. If they reach him before he gets to the psych wing, then they can save him. If they don’t reach him in time, then Sakusa is fucked. There’s just no way he can escape from those things. He didn’t even take a gun. Well, Rintarou did. Maybe he’s underestimating him. But there’s so many. If any of them are loose in there… 

They reach the end of the tunnel where big metal doors are closed. Kageyama tries to open it, but they appear to be locked.

“Omi-kun must have locked it behind him,” Bokuto says.

Whelp, they tried. Sorry Sakusa. 

Hinata isn’t deterred, “There’s got to be another way in.”

Bokuto looks around with his owlish eyes. Then he looks down. Rintarou follows his gaze. They’re standing right in front of a manhole. Oh hell no. He knows exactly what the man is about to say.

“What about this?” He points at it.

“Well, let’s try it.” Kageyama comes over to pry the cover off.

They all look down into the dark hole. Fuck this. Fuck no. Are they really going down there? Do they expect Rintarou to even be able to climb down that ladder? 

Kageyama goes down first so he can help Rintarou. He’s actually doing this. Fuck, man. Bokuto and Hinata essentially lower him down to Kageyama. He feels like a fucking cripple as Kageyama holds his weight so he can use the ladder the rest of the way down. The other two slip down after him with Bokuto sliding the manhole cover back in place. 

Then Bokuto resumes his position as Rintarou’s crutch. They are significantly lagging behind Hinata and Kageyama by this point, but he can’t fault them for wanting to get a move on. Maybe he should have just stayed behind. 

“Help me!” Comes a disembodied voice from their left.

Bokuto stops in his tracks, completely tuned into the voice. “Keiji?!”

The echoing cries and pleads for help definitely sound like Akaashi. But it can’t be, right? He’s dead. Bokuto said he fell down an elevator shaft after being mauled by a Wendigo. There’s no way he’s alive. 

Bokuto tries to navigate towards the voice. “Bokuto, what are you doing?” Rintarou doesn’t have much of a choice but to go with him, though he resists.

“It’s Keiji! He’s alive!”

“It’s not Akaashi. He’s dead!” He resists harder.

Bokuto lets him go. “No, he’s not! I’m going to get him. I’ll be right back.” He drops down over the ledge.

Fuck. He really just left Rintarou here by himself. It’s then that he remembers something from Ukai’s journal. _Because it is mutated from a human, it knows how to hunt us. It can perfectly mimic its prey._ Oh fuck. Does that mean what he thinks it means?! No, no, no. 

He staggers over to the ledge to see a sheer drop about seven feet down. Fuuuuck. Fuck you Bokuto and your dumb ass. Rintarou drops himself over and collapses to the ground in a heap. The pain is so intense his vision is covered with black spots. _I hate you so much right now Bokuto Koutarou._

“Bokuto!” He yells down the cavern. “Stop! It’s not Akaashi! Come back!” 

He wills everything in himself to go after the man. If Bokuto lets in a Wendigo mimicking Akaashi, they’re all dead. He uses the wall to support himself and hobble along. 

“Bokuto! Stop! I’m coming! Wait for me! Please!” 

He’s not sure his pleading will work on the desperate man. Hobbling faster, he sees Bokuto reaching down to open a hatch.

“Bokuto no!” He launches himself at his friend, and they both tumble to the ground.

“What the hell, Suna?! I thought you were waiting! Get off, I need to get Keiji!” 

Rintarou does his best to keep the other man pinned down. “Stop! It’s not Keiji!” He yells over the thumping coming from the hatch. 

“Yes it is! He’s right there! Get the fuck off me!” Anger flashes in Bokuto’s golden eyes. 

He’s out of his mind. He’s not seeing any reason right now. Rintarou slaps him. “Get a hold of yourself!” He shouts in Bokuto’s face. “Akaashi is dead! It’s a Wendigo trying to trick you! Don’t let your grief kill us all!” Rintarou grips the man’s shirt collar and shakes him, trying to get his point across. 

“But-”

“NO!” He grits out. “He’s dead, okay? Just like Osamu,” he releases his grip and slumps down, resting his forehead on Bokuto’s chest. They’re both breathing hard from anger and adrenaline. In a softer voice, he adds, “And if that was Akaashi, wouldn’t he hear your voice and call your name? Not bang against the closed hatch?”

It seems Bokuto finally understands as all the fight leaves his body. “I’m sorry,” he sniffs. “I’m sorry. I just- I thought-”

“I know. It’s okay.”

They lay there for a moment, both feeling their grief. The banging on the hatch is just background noise to their thoughts. And the pain in Rintarou’s leg. 

“Also, fuck you for making me chase your ass down here. I think my leg is going to have to be amputated after this.”

Bokuto chuckles slightly at that and maneuvers Rintarou off of him so he can stand and help him up. The man is essentially carrying Rintarou, as his right leg isn’t touching the ground at all. He must feel bad. 

They take the tunnel back up to the path they broke off from to find a frantic Hinata and Kageyama.

“Oh my god! Where were you guys?! We looked back, and you were just gone! We were so worried!” Hinata is flailing around with wide eyes.

“Calm down dumbass. You’ll fuck up your injuries even more. They’re fine,” Kageyama says, trying to grab the flailing arms. 

Bokuto forces a smile, “Sorry. Um. Thought I heard something, but it was nothing.”

Continuing down the passageway, they come to a dead end. It looks like there used to be a ladder up the wall, but it’s long gone. Looks like they came all this way for nothing.

“I can climb it,” Hinata says, staring up the wall. 

“What did I just say about your injuries?” Kageyama crosses his arms looking rather stern. “I’m the only one of us not injured. I’ll go. The rest of you should head back.”

“Tobio, please come back to me.” Hinata grabs his hand, not wanting to let go.

“I will. Just stay safe.” 

Rintarou can’t watch them say their goodbyes. This is shaping up to be a sad, sad story. Three lovers left behind. Two pairs long-term and one newly formed. And then there’s the couple that could have been, but never had the chance.

-💀-💀-💀-  
**05:34**

Tobio stares up the steep wall of rock. Hinata is obviously a better rock climber than him. He’s only gone with the ginger a handful of times, but he can do this. There’s no way he was letting Hinata go with his injuries. 

Starting up the wall, it’s not so bad. There are plenty of divots for his hands and feet. It could be worse. Thankfully he found this headband thing with a light on it so he can see. The Miyas have a lot of weird shit in their basement.

Pulling himself over the top, he sees he’s definitely in the mine. There’s a big open cavern that has some wooden stairs that go up and over it. Seems like the right way to go. Stalactites and stalagmites cover the area. He’d say it’s cool, but he’s on a mission and trying not to die. 

There’s something like a scream behind him, but when he turns around, nothing’s there. It’s then that he realizes that he doesn’t have anything to defend himself with. A steel pipe is on the wooden pathway in front of him. It’ll have to do. 

Further ahead, he can drop down to solid ground where some metal doors might lead to the outside.

All of a sudden, Sakusa bursts through with something chasing him. He tries to close the door, but the thing is able to break through, flinging Sakusa to the ground. It’s a Wendigo, he thinks. But it’s like, on fire. It leaps on top of the other man. Holy shit! He wacks the creature with the pipe, knocking its head clean off. Looks like fire really does weaken them.

Sakusa hops up and uses his gun to bar the door. “Shit,” he pants. “Thanks.”

“Yeah. Sure. You okay?” Sakusa does not look okay. Honestly, he looks rather singed. The ends of his curly hair might be slightly smoking. 

“I’m alive. That’s about all I can say. What are you even doing over here?”

“Uh. I was going to warn you about the Wendigos.”

Sakusa huffs a bitter laugh, “Little late. Come on, we have to be close.”

Tobio nods and follows Sakusa deeper into the mine. He feels a shiver run up his spine, like he can sense some impending doom. There’s a body of water in front of them. It looks like it’s the only way to the other side.

“Fuck, I don’t want to go in there,” Sakusa says, curling his nose.

He has the same sentiment, but he knows both of them are going to do it.

He’s proven right as they both drop into the freezing cold water. It only comes to just below their hips thanks to their generous heights. However, as they go further in, it of course gets deeper. Now it’s above their waists. Wading through is becoming much harder, but they do make it to the other side. 

Pulling themselves out of the water, the air feels even colder. Tobio just wants to find Atsumu and get the fuck out. He wants to get back to Hinata.

No turning back now. He actually found Sakusa alive, might as well see this out. Opening up the metal door to the next area, the sight before them is one he wishes he never had to see.

Headless bodies hang from chains. There are so many of them. Just...there. Like pigs in a butcher’s freezer. It’s… it’s awful. And the smell is something he’ll never forget.

“Oh my god. I think I’m going to be sick,” Sakusa holds his stomach and looks a bit pale. He braces himself on the wood paneling with a hand. Then he suddenly stands straight up and stares through the planks. “Atsumu.”

Tobio goes over to see. There on the ground is the blonde. Oh fuck. Is he dead?

-💀-💀-💀-  
**06:05**

Kiyoomi pushes open the wooden door and rushes to Atsumu’s side. Fuck, no, no, no! Please, no! Feeling for a pulse, there’s a faint beat. Oh thank god. Cupping the blonde’s face, he sees a bleeding gash on his head. He must have hit it on a rock or something on the way down. 

“Hey, Atsumu,” he says softly. “Can you hear me? Please wake up.”

His eyes groggily blink open. “Omi?” He croaks out.

Kiyoomi is so happy he could cry. “'Tsumu, I’ve got you. I’ll get you out of here, okay?”

“‘Kay,” he mumbles before closing his eyes again.

“Hey, stay with me. You need to stay awake.” Kiyoomi is vaguely aware of Kageyama standing there awkwardly as he hauls Atsumu into his arms. God, he’s heavy, but Kiyoomi is getting him out of here.

Turning to Kageyama, he sees a beam of moonlight making its way into the cavern. That means there’s a way out. Kageyama could climb out and tell everyone that they’re fine. 

Kageyama isn’t thrilled with the idea. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You’re completely defenseless,” he gestures to Atsumu in his arms. 

Either way they’re defenseless, really. They have no weapon and nothing to even kill these monsters with. Explaining this, Kageyama ends up agreeing, albeit reluctantly. That’s at least one less person lost to this disaster. 

Retracing his steps he comes to the body of water. Maybe Kageyama had a point after all. He’s able to get Atsumu to weakly comply with a piggyback. His arms loosely drape over Kiyoomi’s shoulders, and his head rests there as well. Trying to help out, he bends slightly forward as he walks to keep the blonde from falling off. 

Wading through the water like this is less than thrilling. It’s cold and dark and Kiyoomi just really hopes nothing gross gets into Atsumu’s wounds and infects it. This water is stagnant. All kinds of bacteria are festering in here.

When he’s made it a little over halfway through, he hears something; and his heart drops. He freezes in place and holds Atsumu’s thighs tighter. Please, not now. Not when he’s so close. He wants to look around to see where it is, but he knows that will mean death. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees it. He’s completely at its mercy. All Kiyoomi can do is pray that nothing alerts it to their location. It already knows someone is here somewhere. Staying still in his bent position is a strain with Atsumu’s weight. He can’t hold this forever.

Then there’s barking, and outruns Wolfie up to the water’s edge. How the fuck did he get in here? Kiyoomi thought he lost him when that fiery Wendigo was chasing him. The Wendigo in the water is immediately locked on to the wolf, screeching at the animal. 

As the creature wades towards Wolfie, Kiyoomi moves behind a large rock outcropping in the water. He gently slides Atsumu off his back, letting the water help support his weight. Leaning against the rock, he pulls Atsumu to his chest with his head in the crook of his neck. One hand supporting Atsumu’s head and the other around his waist, Kiyoomi holds him tight. 

Wolfie’s barking and the Wendigo’s screeching start to get further away, but Kiyoomi stays where he is for a moment longer. He feels Atsumu’s heartbeat against his own chest and his soft breaths on his neck. It’s fine. Kiyoomi is going to get them out of here. Atsumu is alive. And Kiyoomi is determined to keep him that way.

-💀-💀-💀-  
**06:19**

Osamu has been wandering around in the mine for what must be hours. He’s lost, tired, and hungry. At least he found this lantern so he’s not completely blind. Walking around the corner, he’s almost hit in the head with a shovel. 

“Whoa!” He catches it with his hand. “Akaashi?” The man looks like he’s on his last leg. He’s got a huge coat hanging on his slender frame. There’s a visible slash mark on his chest and multiple cuts and scratches on his face. Osamu is sure there are more injuries that the coat is hiding.

“Osamu?” Akaashi’s voice is weak and shaky. Jesus. What happened to him? Why is he down here?

“What happened to ya? Are ya okay?” He wants to hug his friend. He thought he was fucking dead. But he doesn’t want to aggravate any wounds.

“There was this creature. It- it dragged me to the mine. Koutarou chased after me. Then I fell down an elevator shaft.”

Creature? “What do ya mean creature? Are ya sure it wasn’t just a person? ‘Cause someone attacked me, too.”

“No, Osamu, listen to me. I saw it. It’s like something from a nightmare.”

Osamu is skeptical that Akaashi is just suffering from a head injury after falling down so far. But there’s also a part of him that believes the other man. It is Akaashi after all. He’s not just going to make up some crazy story.

“Either way, let’s find a way outta here. Are ya okay to walk?”

“I’ll manage.”

Since he has the lantern, Osamu leads the way. He tries not to walk too fast for Akaashi’s sake. Plus, his own ankle is still sprained, so he’s limping a bit. All this walking around has not been pleasant. His ankle is sure to swell like a balloon as soon as his shoe is off. 

Right now they’re in a more open area and are following some minecart tracks. It’s definitely where a lot of people used to work with how it’s set up. Akaashi is still lagging behind. Osamu doesn’t like the idea that he might accidentally lose the other man down here. 

Osamu sticks out his arm for Akaashi to hold on to, “Here. Take my arm. We’ll go at yer pace.” The raven delicately loops his arm through Osamu’s and latches on. He can feel him shaking. Shit. He must be scared after everything he’s gone through. 

The tracks eventually come to an end and they have to go down a narrow tunnel. There’s just enough room to walk side by side. Thankfully, it opens up to another more open area.

In the distance, there’s an echoing screech. What was that? Akaashi squeezes his arm tighter. “O-Osamu. It’s here,” Akaashi whispers.

Oh shit. Well... He takes in their surroundings quickly. There’s a wooden wall they can hide behind. “Come on, Akaashi.” He gently maneuvers the man behind the wall first.

Akaashi still clings to his arm, shaking as they hide. Osamu tries to keep him steady, wrapping his arm around the other’s shoulders. Fuck, what has Akaashi so absolutely terrified? Then he hears scratching. Like claws along the rocky walls of the mine. What is that? 

When the sounds disappear, they peek around the wall. Whatever it was, it’s gone now. He grabs Akaashi’s arm and tries to pick up the pace a bit. They need to get out of here.

However, Akaashi stumbles and Osamu loses his grip. “Akaashi, c’mon. We needta hurry.” 

When he looks back at his companion, he sees it. Oh what the fuck is that?! He’s not keen on finding out. The appearance of the creature sends Akaashi’s mind into overdrive, and he runs forward. Osamu is right beside him. Fuck they need to hide! That thing is fast, whatever it is.

Osamu rams himself against the old wooden wall and breaks through. Akaashi tugs him back by his coat before he tumbles off the cliff that’s right outside. Fuck! They scoot along the outside edge of the wall on the snowy ground and hold each other as they try to keep still. 

The creature pokes its head out and looks around. Apparently, it doesn’t see them, as it quickly moves on further into the mine. Holy shit.

Now that they’re outside, Osamu can see the lodge in the distance. Oh, thank fuck.

-💀-💀-💀-  
**06:26**

Tobio still hasn’t made it back to the lodge. He’s pretty sure he’s going the right way, but he doesn’t know this mountain. Or where he came out of the mines from for that matter. He hopes Sakusa made it out with Atsumu. 

When the other suggested he leave, he feels he agreed too easily. Tobio was being selfish, wanting to get back alive to Hinata. Did he just ensure the other two men’s deaths? 

Behind him, Tobio hears the wail of a Wendigo and takes off in the direction he hopes the lodge is. Racing through the woods, he sees the lodge in the distance. Reaching the entrance, he finds the door locked. Fuck, that’s right, they locked it. Oh god, he’s going to die out here!

“Kageyama,” comes a deep voice. 

Whirling around, he sees Sakusa with Atsumu on his back barely conscious. Oh, thank fuck they’re alive. “Fuck, you scared me.”

“Tobio-kun,” Atsumu lulls.

“We need to get inside. Just use a rock to break the glass.”

Doing what he’s told, Tobio is able to unlock the door from the inside. Upon entering, he goes to turn on the lights until Sakusa stops him. He doesn’t question the other man's decision. He supposes the least amount of attention is the best kind.

“The others should be back in the basement,” he says. 

Sakusa nods and they head down the stairs together. However, as they approach the door to where their friends are, the others come rushing out into the lodge.

“Run!” Hinata yells. Bokuto is right behind him carrying Suna on his shoulder. 

Tobio looks back towards the doorway and sees two Wendigos staring back at him crouched down on all fours. Oh shit! He reaches forward and pulls the door shut before racing off after everyone else. That door won’t hold long. 

Running for his life, he takes the stairs two at a time to get to the main floor. Then he sees that everyone is frozen in place staring at something.

“Don’t. Move.” Sakusa utters stiffly. 

There’s a Wendigo hanging on the chandelier in the center of the room. As they all stand there, still as statues, the other two Wendigos have made it up here as well. Now there’s three of them prowling around in the den.

Two of the monsters start fighting, presumably over their potential prey. One of the Wendigos flings the other towards the fireplace, knocking some pipes loose. 

Sakusa’s gaze narrows in on the broken pipe, then over to a lightbulb, then to the light switch. Then his eyes meet Tobio’s. He doesn’t know what Sakusa is thinking. Pipe, lightbulb, light switch? He’s nowhere near as smart as the other man. Tobio tries to convey his confusion. Sakusa looks frustrated and bites his lip. 

Tobio knows the other man has a plan. Just think. The pipe went to the fireplace. The gas fireplace. It’s broken now, so it’s leaking gas into the air? Okay. Lightbulb… Nothing. Light switch… Turn on lightbulb. Easy. Okay, but why?

During his internal thought process, Sakusa is inching his way towards the lightbulb. Atsumu is clinging to the man while staring wide-eyed at the creatures still fighting. 

With a sickening thud, one of the Wendigos smashes another’s head on the floor and proceeds to rip its head off. Jesus fuck. At least there’s only two now.

Tobio watches as Sakusa slowly reaches up and squeezes the bulb until it breaks. Why did it have to be Tobio? Anyone else here could probably understand Sakusa’s plan. Even Atsumu, who definitely has at least a concussion, seems to understand as he glances over to meet his eyes.

The sound of the glass bulb breaking alerts the Wendigo. It turns to Sakusa and Atsumu. Shit. 

While it’s distracted, Tobio notices Bokuto dash outside with Suna still on his shoulder. 

The Wendigo stalks towards the two men. Fuck. Before he can think too much he shouts at the creature, “Hey!”

It immediately turns to him. At least Hinata is able to dash outside unnoticed. Tobio holds still as the Wendigo screeches right in his face. _Oh fuck! Fuck!_ It’s breath smells like rotting flesh. It walks away, not seeming to detect him.

He meets Sakusa’s eyes again. Sakusa flicks his eyes over to the switch. Tobio thinks he understands. Sakusa wants him to flip it. Alright. He can do that. He just needs to get over there. 

Quickly darting behind a wooden pillar, he tries to stay out of the Wendigo’s sight. It’s still right there. Fuck that screech is loud. Tobio dashes to another hiding spot closer to the switch. 

Sakusa is slowly backing out of the lodge with Atsumu. Okay, everyone is out. Now Tobio just needs to flip the switch, right? 

The Wendigo knows he’s around this area. It’s stalking around him. Tobio worries it might hear his heart hammering in his chest. He can feel it approaching him from behind. Oh fuck, it’s right there. The Wendigo’s head is right next to his face. The urge to flinch away is strong, but he has to stay still. When it screeches right in his ear, Tobio clenches his jaw to force his mind to endure.

When the creature loses interest and moves away, Tobio sprints to the switch. Flipping it on as he runs past it through the open door, the lodge is engulfed in a huge explosion that blows him further away from the lodge. Holy shit.

As the first light of day breaches the sky, the group of six stare at the lodge set ablaze. 

“Tobio!” Hinata runs over and launches himself onto Tobio’s prone figure.

“Shouyou,” he embraces the ginger in his arms. Is it finally over? Are they safe now?

Sakusa is sitting on the ground with Atsumu cradled in his lap, holding his head tenderly. The blonde still looks worse for wear. He’s still not completely with it. Bokuto and Suna sit next to each other with blank looks. Right. Akaashi and Osamu are… gone. 

The sound of a helicopter turns their attention to the sky. Finally. 

-💀-💀-💀-  
**06:42**

The helicopter lands in an open clearing in front of the lodge. When the doors open, Osamu is the first person out.

“Rin!” He dashes over to the brunette on the ground.

“Osamu!” They cry, embracing each other. “I thought you were dead!”

“I thought _you_ were dead!” While holding his boyfriend, he looks over to see Atsumu alive and in Sakusa’s arms. Osamu sighs in relief. His twin is alive, too.

Bokuto looks towards the helicopter and sees a figure shuffling behind the park ranger. “Keiji?” He stands up to see better. Hope thrums in his chest. Catching a glimpse of Akaashi’s unmistakable steel blue eyes, Bokuto rushes over to his boyfriend. “Keiji!”

“Kou,” Akaashi melts into Bokuto’s arms. 

“I thought I lost you!” The owl haired man sobs. 

“I’m here now. It’s all going to be okay.”

Sakusa looks away from Atsumu when he hears a bark. Wolfie stands among the trees. So, he managed to escape. What a good boy. Sakusa nods to the wolf in thanks. He really saved his and Atsumu’s lives. Wolfie yips and then turns, disappearing into the woods. 

“Omi?”

“Hm?” He turns back to Atsumu and strokes his cheek with his thumb.

“Ya saved me.”

Sakusa smiles softly at the man in his arms, “I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you.”

“Omi,” he whispers like his name is sacred. “I love you, too.”

One of the park rangers is talking on a radio, requesting emergency services to be contacted while the other attempts to herd everyone into the helicopter. It’s a tight fit, but all eight men cram into the helicopter to be airlifted to the hospital.

Healing is going to take a long time, not just physically. All of them have gone through something extremely traumatic. No one is going to believe them when they’re questioned about the events that took place on the mountain. At least they can all say they survived. It’s definitely something that didn’t seem possible at several points. The eight of them will never forget. It’ll forever connect them together. Due to the choices they all made, they were able to see the end of this nightmare. 

From the helicopter window, they see the fiery remains of the lodge burning into the morning light. Holding their loved ones close, the friends can finally relax. It’s going to be the only moment of peace they have for quite a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the ending! Thanks again for reading 💕


End file.
